Archives for 2014

7 Ways to Win a $50 eGift Card From Sephora! (Ends Monday)

December 13th, 2014 by Karen 268 Comments

Win a $50 Sephora e-gift card from Makeup and Beauty Blog

Time is running out!

Christmas is less than two weeks away! I gotta get on that ish. I only have two gifts so far — TWO! — and even those are unwrapped.

Oh, and I had all these grand plans to have everything done by the end of the November.

The end of November!? Ha! Yeah, right. I blame it all on that detour I took to Middle Earth.

Rotten hobbits…

In other news, HAPPY CATURDAY! Your nephew woke me up with a kitty back massage. I was sleeping on my tum, and he just crawled right on top. Made a bunch of biscuits on my shoulder blades. It actually felt pretty good…

Today is all about chores and Christmas for me. I have to make some headway on both, but if I finish early, I’m going to try to squeeze in a trip to HomeGoods (just to look around!).

I hope you’re doing something fun, or at least catching up on your chores, if you have any. Good luck in the giveaway. I’ll talk to you soon.

One (1) Sephora eGift card containing $50 sent to the winner by email (international readers, you may opt to receive $50 sent by PayPal instead).

Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.
Open to U.S. and international readers.
You must be 18 or older to enter (or otherwise an adult based on your local laws).
Your comment can be about anything at all, but here are some ideas if you’re stuck:
- Metallic eyeliner: yes or no?
- Have you ever ridden in a horse-drawn carriage?
- Christmas-themed nail art: trendy or tacky?
- Do you like fruit with your cereal?
- Have you dated someone with a beard?
- Have you ever painted anyone’s toenails other than your own?
You can enter in up to seven ways to boost your chances of winning.
The giveaway ends on Monday, December 15, 2014 at 11:59 PM (Pacific Time). 🙂
Full terms and conditions are available in the widget.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Clinique’s New Wear Everywhere Neutrals All About Shadow 8-Pan Palettes, and the Perpetual Pursuit of Purple

December 12th, 2014 by Karen 18 Comments

Clinique Wear Everywhere Pinks and Greys — The new $36 Clinique Wear Everywhere Neutrals All About Shadow 8-Pan Palettes in Pinks (on the left) and Greys (on the right)

Since discovering that Clinique’s purple eyeshadow pigments, unlike so many other purple shadows I’ve tried, don’t make my eyes freak out (thank you, Act II palette, for that), I have yet another reason to lurk around the Clinique counter like the creepy makeup stalker that I am. 🙂

MOAR PURPLE!!

Have you seen the purples in these two palettes from the Wear Everywhere Neutrals line?

Clinique Wear Everywhere Neutral Greys — Wear Everywhere Neutral Greys

Clinique Wear Everywhere Neutral Pinks — Wear Everywhere Neutral Pinks

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Matte Madness: MAC Matte Lipstick in Styled in Sepia

December 12th, 2014 by Karen 26 Comments

Took me a while to get on board with MAC Styled in Sepia, mostly because I wore something just like it in the ’90s…and I’m 99% certain I wore it with overalls, a baby tee, a pair of knock-off Timberland boots and a button-up plaid shirt tied around my waist.

OH, GAWD.

In addition to triggering bouts of ’90s nostalgia, Styled in Sepia is also unusually smooth for a matte, so if you’ve got a flaky lip situation going on, you can still wear it without looking dodgy.

The color has an interesting grayish mauve undertone that I didn’t expect to find terribly flattering, but it grew on me when I got it on my lips.

Styled in Sepia is one of the limited edition MAC matte colors and, unfortunately, it appears to be sold out on the MAC website, but you can still find it online if you do a little digging…

I’ve seen it at belk.com, nordstrom.com and bloomingdales.com, so it’s still floating around on the Inter-Webs if you need to have it in yo’ life right meow.

A tube will set you back $16.

The Insomnia Files: Chapter 1,597

Insomnia. Bah!

You ever have trubs turning off your brain at bedtime?

Sometimes I lay down intending to go to sleep, and my body feels tired, but my mind is spinning like it’s on one of those little hamster wheels going round and round…

But last night I went to bed early, and I completely unplugged (TV, phone, Kindle — the whole kit and caboodle) an hour and a half before.

Then I spent about 30 minutes in bed reading the new issue of Better Homes & Garden (because I knew it wouldn’t be scary or action packed), and it really helped me relax. I ended up sleeping like a tabby.

A pic of me sleeping with Tabs when he was near the end of his kitten-hood…about one year old

A friend also recently suggested putting a few drops of lavender oil on a paper towel next to my pillow, so I tried that last night, too, with H. Gillerman’s Sleep Remedy.

Dang stuff sure smells good, and I think it did help me relax.

If you ever have trouble sleeping, I feel your pain, dawg. Would LOVE to know what helps you relax and get a restful night of sleep.

The Matte Madness series features some of my favorite matte products as of late

Satiny Lids, Red Lips and Soft Black Cat Liner: A Friday Face of the Day With the NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow Palette

December 12th, 2014 by Karen 37 Comments

The sun is out there…

Somewhere…

It’s out there somewhere behind the oppressive soup of (now) light gray clouds over our little hill here in Novato, but at least it isn’t raining! 🙂 By no means am I hanging out on the deck in a pair of booty shorts and drinking a margarita or anything, but it looks like Stormageddon 2014 has at least temporarily paused.

Compared to yesterday’s monsoon, the current minor gloom is welcome. I also tried to inject a little more brightness into the vicinity with my makeup, a glowing neutral lid with soft black cat eyeliner and a bright red lip.

I started this look with the new NARSissist Dual-Intensity Eyeshadow Palette ($79, coming to NARS Boutiques and the NARS website January 1, 2015; on counters February 1)…and I apologize in advance if I blabber and ramble when I talk about it because it drives me wild (I’m also thinking that the lines on the pans are hypnotic).

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A Quick Makeup Tip: Dimensionality Makes for Beautiful Eye Makeup

December 12th, 2014 by Karen 30 Comments

Cream shadows are cool. They’re like secret little weapons…

You can make your eye looks more interesting by giving them dimension using cream shadows.

Just apply a cream shadow in a color that’s relevant to your look on your lid, then layer a complementary powder eyeshadow on top.

Clinique’s Chubby Stick Shadow Tint for Eyes

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For “That Glow,” Try Topshop Glow Dust in Radiate

December 11th, 2014 by Karen 17 Comments

Why does all the good stuff disappear?

Twinkies (although I think they’re back).

Josh Hartnett.

Almost Human.

Lauryn Hill.

And now this? I can’t seem to find MAC Golden Bronze Iridescent Powder/Loose anywhere, and it’s scaring me because I think it’s one of those MAC products that deserves a cult following.

I hope it hasn’t been discontinued…

I first heard about it from a MAC Pro Artist friend of mine, the fabulous Keri B, who said she loved using it for bridal makeup. She even called it an unsung makeup hero.

So I bought a jar that afternoon, LOL!

I guess I’m easy that way…

Anyway, like I was saying, I’m afraid that Golden Bronze has been discontinued. 🙁

As a sliver lining, I think I may have found a respectable dupe by Topshop called Glow Dust in Radiate ($18). Similarly fine golden shimmer and warm peachy bronze.

When I wear it in pics, I get an unusually high number of “that glow” comments, which I squirrel away in my makeup memory banks. (For “that glow,” use Glow Dust in Radiate, Karen.)

I just dust some on the tops of my cheekbones with a tapered eyeshadow brush.

A little goes a long way.

You can find Glow Dust in Radiate now at Topshop stores and online.

STORM UPDATE (NOVATO, CA)

Our little oak tree-covered hill here has seen inches and inches of rain over the past 24 hours, but Casa de Tabs in Novato is hangin’ tough! We still have power (for now) and haven’t slid down the hill (knock on wood).

Tabs has been on fuego all day long, though, meowing and mewling and basically harassing me to take him outside, as if he wouldn’t just want to run back inside as soon as he got his paws wet.

The rain always fires him up… Maybe it takes him back to his days as a footloose and fancy-free stray cat on the mean streets of Mill Valley.

Wherever you are this evening, I hope you’re warm and safe.

The Jouer Holiday 2014 Collection: Chic and Polished Makeup Sets On Sale Right Meow!

December 11th, 2014 by Karen 12 Comments

Jouer Fete Fabulous — Wearing pieces from the new limited edition Fete Fabulous 5-piece holiday color collection by Jouer

Oh, Jouer, you’re so fun!

Get it…? Jouer? Means “play” in French?

Sorry.

If you’re unfamiliar with the brand, their limited edition holiday sets are a Fete Fabulous way to break the ice.

The 5-piece Fete Fabulous kit for eyes, cheeks and lips (regularly $112, on sale now for $54) comes with a warm honey matte bronzer and a sheer rosy pink cream blush for cheeks, a shimmery gold cream eyeshadow stick and a powder eyeshadow duo containing a matte beige and an espresso brown for eyes, and a sheer berry pink gloss for lips.

I wore the kit a lot last weekend while visiting my in-laws in Redding, and it was juuust enough makeup to satisfy my appetite.

Jouer is an upscale, boutiquey line out of So Cal with a chic, understated, effortless vibe. I love their style and like to wear their stuff on weekends, or whenever I crave easy definition.

The sheer glosses in the Bisou Bisou and French Kiss lipgloss kits are fine, if not fun, especially if you like to layer sheer gloss on top of your lipstick.

If, however, your lips get dry and cracked this time of year, you may want to start with a layer of lip balm, because the glosses aren’t incredibly moisturizing.

As for the Le Petite Brush Set, on sale now for $35 (regularly $70), the bristles feel nice and soft, but brush heads themselves feel a bit stiff. They don’t have as much give as I usually like.

Because of that, these brushes do a decent job controlling cream products, but when it comes to pushing powder products around, I wish the brush heads had more give.

The Jouer Fete Fabulous 5-Piece Color Collection, originally $112, on sale online now for $54

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Clinique’s $36 The Nutcracker Suite Act II Palette Is Perfectly Purple

December 11th, 2014 by Karen 25 Comments

Clinique Nutcracker Suite Act II — Wearing the $36 Nutcracker Suite Act II Palette on my eyes and cheeks, along with the Chubby Stick Baby Tint in Flowering Freesia and Blended Face Powder in Snowflake Dreams, all from Act II of Clinique’s The Nutcracker Suite holiday collection

Part deux of Clinique’s holiday collection, The Nutcracker Suite, puts the spotlight on soft, romantic colors… And purple!

The overall collection is split into two parts, with the first part, Act I, being pumped up about pink, and the second part, Act II, being passionate about purple.

In Act II, purple eyes and a sheer purple lip pair with pretty pink cheeks, and for the eyes, there’s The Nutcracker Suite Act II Eye and Cheek Palette ($36).

The Nutcracker Suite Act II Eye and Cheek Palette ($36)

Clinique The Nutcracker Suite Act II Palette — The Nutcracker Suite Act II Palette ($36)

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